Alex de Minaur has cruised into the third round at Wimbledon with a dashing display on Thursday against Jaume Munar, but it was not a perfect day for the Australian star after his partner Katie Boulter was edged in an all-England thriller.
The world No.9 showed the benefits of a testing first round encounter against compatriot James Duckworth with a sharper performance against Spaniard Jaume Munar as the sunshine returned after gloomy weather over the first three days of the tournament.
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De Minaur had defeated Munar, a peer who had the better of their matches in lower-tier events around Spain when they were teenagers, at Roland Garros in straight sets in late May but was even more convincing on Thursday when successful 6-2 6-2 7-5 in 2hr 3min.
“(It was a) very good performance today all the way until the end, which it got a little bit tough to kind of finish it off. But I’m very happy with the level. I played great and I’m feeling really good,” he said.
The No.9 seed endured a brief dip in concentration when, after celebrating when a groundstroke from Munar was called wide on match point at 5-3, a successful challenge allowed the world No.63 a reprieve, which gave him some momentum as he broke the Aussie in the following game.
But there was no second time lucky for Munar after he challenged an ace de Minaur struck down the middle to secure the match, with the review showing the ball clipping the service line.
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“It’s never easy closing out a match, then you get those slightly unlucky moments that, again, I probably should have closed it out right there, but the match complicates, gets tough, then all of a sudden you’re back on serve,” he said.
“I think the biggest difference now is that I know I can have a bad game like I did, trying to serve for it, but at the end of the day, I know I’m not going anywhere, right? If he gets inspired and turns that set around, I know I’m right back fourth set. That’s the type of mentality I like to have, just bounce back as quick as possible.”
The Australian, who claimed the ninth ATP Tour title of his career in the Netherlands last month, served better against Munar than he did against Duckworth and was far more decisive when taking his chances on the 27-year-old’s serve.
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Having converted just three of 19 break point chances against Duckworth in chilly conditions on Tuesday, the Davis Cup star converted more than 50 percent of his opportunities on the Munar serve in a comprehensive grass court display.
He will play Lucas Pouille on Saturday for a spot in the fourth round after the Frenchman progressed when Thanasi Kokkinakis injured his knee midway through the third set.
“I think he’s got the experience on the grass, right?,” he said
“He is a veteran player who, again, his high level is very high, and he can make it very hard on any player out there on his day. So, you know, he’s probably going to take it to me.”
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Immediately after his match, de Minaur hit the exercise bike and grabbed a snack before racing to Court 1 to watch his partner Boulter tackle compatriot Harriet Dart, who prevailed 4-6 6-1 7-6 (8) in a thriller lasting 2hr 56min.
De Minaur was visibly stressed throughout a deciding set that lasted 93 minutes but said later he was proud of Boulter.
“It’s what happens in tennis. You have your good days, you have your bad days and everything in between,” he said.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be tough. Losing sucks. That’s the reality of it. It doesn’t matter whether you lose in the first round, in the final, or anything in between, it’s never easy.
“But I think the most important thing for her is that this match doesn’t define her in any way, shape, or form. I’m so proud of what she’s done, what she’s accomplished this whole grass court season. She’s just going to keep on kicking on.”